Greenleaf Seminars©

Servant Leadership in the Boardroom

October 10, 2012The Nonprofit Partnership

Erie, Pa.Facilitator: Bob PhippsContent providers: You !

© Copyright The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership 20081

Servant Leadership

IntroductionsThis seminar will attempt to cover the basics of

servant leadership while applying it to your role in board leadership !

Normal length is 3.5 hours/ we are limited today to 1 hour and 15 minutes ….so it will be an introduction !

Materials come from similar seminars done for many companies/agencies/organizations under the auspices of The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

The Case for Servant Leadership is a great source for the basic concepts of servant leadership, and Servant Leadership in the Boardroom is the latest resource Kent has developed with specific focus on boards.

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Some expectations (of each other) for our time together

Listen care-fullyOption to passSpeak for yourselfExpect unfinished businessRecognize the variety of opinion

dimension in the room !Take responsibility for your own

learning !Note what is of meaning to

you….power point can be e-mailed if you so desire.

Objectives-To share with participants the background and

history of the servant leader approach.-To help participants understand the connection

between the basic responsibilities of non-profit boards and the establishment of a servant culture in which to perform their duties.

-To assist participants in examining their own motivations for board involvement and apply servant leader principles to their roles as leaders.

-To introduce the seven key practices of a servant leader and help individuals incorporate these practices into their leadership style.

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Rationale:

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There have been too many tragedies –too many cases in which corporations/and non-profits have harmed individuals and communities because their boards did not lead, or their leadership did not fulfill, the public trust. Servant leadership in the boardroom can reduce those tragedies, while better aligning corporations and non-profits with the needs of those they serve. It will never be easy, but dedicated servant-leaders in the boardroom can surely make the world a better place.

The desire to serveServant leadership begins with the

desire to serve.Universal recognition of the

importance of serving others can be found in many religions.

The test: Do those served grow as persons?

Serving others is not just something we do– it ought to be the way in which we do our work !

Purdue University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access instiution.

Power Based Service Based

DIFFERENCESPower Base Leadership

Making people do thingsHierarchyGrabbingPower is a goalFocus on personal creditCreate dependencyPatriarchy

Service Base Leadership

Help people do thingsAnybody can serveGivingPower is a toolFocus on the goalEmpowerPartnership

Purdue University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access institution.

The Servant-Leader The servant-leader is servant

first. It begins with the natural

feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.

Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.

That person is sharply different from one who is leader first.

The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types.

ROBERT K. GREENLEAF, THE SERVANT AS LEADER © 1991, 2008

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The Board

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Legal responsibility of the Board

Legislatures have given all legal power to boards to fulfill the public good.

Greenleaf said that trustees (board members) are the holders of the charter of public trust for the institution.

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Trustees accountable to society Greenleaf : “Trustees [board members] are

accountable to all parties at interest for the best possible performance of the institution in the service of the needs of all constituencies—including society at large.”

Trustees should care about everyone that the institution touches– employees, customers, business partners, shareholders, communities.

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Greenleaf on the role of boards• Boards should lead or initiate, not just

react.– Boards should not be nominal, honorary, or

just a rubber stamp for the administration.• Board members should be thought leaders.• Boards should ask fundamental questions.• Boards should be in touch with social,

economic, environmental, political trends.• Boards should understand the needs of

those being served .

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Greenleaf on themajor functions of boards

Hold the charter of public trust for an organization.

Exercise the legal authority to manage.

Set goals, define obligations, approve plans (Carver: determine the ends).

Appoint top administrative officers.Assess the performance of the institution.

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Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards (Richard T. Ingram)

Determine mission and purpose.Select the chief executive.Support and evaluate the chief executive.Ensure effective planning.Monitor and strengthen programs and

services.Ensure adequate financial resources.Protect assets and provide proper financial

oversight.Build a competent board.Ensure legal and ethical integrity.Enhance the organization’s public standing.

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Seven Key Practices(consider how these apply to us as individuals- and collectively as a board)

1.Self-Awareness2.Listening3.Dealing with the pyramid4.Developing your colleagues5.Coaching, not controlling6.Unleashing the energy and

intelligence of others7.Foresight

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Self-Awareness

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One’s own strengths and weaknesses. Emotional intelligence. The impact of one’s words and deeds.

It’s not just what you do (i.e. carry out the mission of the organization), it’s how you do it !

Reflection. Humbleness. Being comfortable with myself which invites…trust, open

feedback, willingness to give up control. (board members) What is your key motivation for serving on a

board…what do you hope to gain from serving ? (CEO’s/Staff) What do you look for from the board collectively and

individually ?

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Listening

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Key to understanding how to identify the needs of others.

Servant leaders don’t begin with the answer- but with questions.

Indian talking stick used by Covey when facilitating the World Leadership Forum among Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

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Thinking about servant leadership… (focus person)

characterize someone you could identify as an effective leader of a board or committee… what did they do/ what did they not do ?

-What causes a person that desires to be a servant leader to migrate to the power model of leadership ? How do you safeguard against this ? How could this impact the work of a non-profit board ?

-Describe (in your words) an effective board member !

Developing Your Colleagues

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Greenleaf’s business ethic: the work exists for the person as much as the person exists for the work.

Kendal Corporation starts before employment -hiring the right staff !

Four levels of learning.

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Four Levels of Learning

Unconscious Competence

Conscious Competence

Conscious Incompetence

Unconscious Incompetence

Council of equalsThe board should be a leadership team that is a “council of equals”.

Greenleaf said: “No man or woman is complete; no one of them is to be entrusted with all. Completeness is to be found only in the complemental talents of several who relate as equals.”

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Foresight

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Greenleaf said foresight is the central ethic of leadership, the “lead” that the leader has.

Not predicting specific events, but the underlying trends, issues, patterns that help identify a future direction.

A good “chess player” looks five moves ahead…. foresight. A good hockey player skates to where the puck is going to be….

foresight. It takes a leader with vision to see the future leader within the

person (John Maxwell). Arie de Geus: example of forecasting when the rivers will swell

and flood the valleys. A& P vs Kroger.

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DashboardWhat are the key

‘gauges’ we want to measure…..to determine the progress of the organization ?

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Typical problemsBoards members do not want to lead, they

want to rubber-stamp the recommendations of the administration.

Board meetings are filled with trivia; the most important issues are ignored.

Board members feel they cannot contribute, become disinterested, and drift away.

Board members bring personal agendas.

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Utilizing foresight….What “topics” could a

board address that would move them from ‘rubber stamping’ to exercising foresight for the organization ?

How does the concept of ‘dashboard’ help the board avoid micro-management ?

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Three stories of servant leadership:

Dale and “the boat” !Frank Vernile on

developing leadership skills !

A President who was served by serving !

Robert K. Greenleaf

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The servant-leader is servant first … then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.

The best test (of servant leadership) is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?

And what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?29

Key Reminders for Servant Leaders in the Boardroom (page 67)

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SummaryServant leadership is ethical,

practical, and meaningful.Serving others is not just something

you do. It’s what life is about.Be a servant leader and make your

organization a success….whether you serve as a staff member or a board member.

Be a servant leader and look back on a life filled with meaning.

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Thank you!

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